Stability of Volatile Organic Compound Metabolites in Urine at Various Storage Temperatures and Freeze-Thaw Cycles for 8 Months

Abstract

The urinary concentrations of mercapturic acid metabolites of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been used as biomarkers of exposure to this class of chemicals. However, stability of these VOC metabolites (VOCMs) in urine at various storage conditions such as temperature, duration, and freeze-thaw cycles is not known. In this study, spot urine samples collected from three volunteers, stored at 22°C (room temperature: RT), 4°C (refrigerator) and -20°C (freezer) for up to 240 days were analyzed at weekly to monthly interval for a total of 19 time points. Samples stored at 4°C and -20°C underwent 18 freeze-thaw cycles at RT for 30 min at each of the time points. Among 38 VOCMs analyzed, up to 18 metabolites were detected at concentrations above their respective detection limits on Day 0 (baseline concentration), and the concentrations of several VOCMs declined with the time of storage. Eight to ten VOCMs were lost completely within 240 days of storage at RT, compared to 2-5 at 4ºC and 1-7 at -20ºC. The loss rate varied depending on the sample, storage temperature and number of freeze-thaw cycles.  Among VOCMs measured, CEMA, SBMA, GAMA, DHBMA, AMCC, TCVMA, and HPMMA were prone to more rapid loss than the other metabolites. Freeze-thaw cycles considerably affected VOCMs concentrations in urine stored at 4ºC or -20°C. It is recommended that urine samples are analyzed for VOCMs within a couple of months of collection and stored at temperatures below -20°C, with minimal or no freeze-thaw cycles. This is the first study to determine the stability of VOCMs at three different temperatures for over 8 months, and highlights the need for appropriate storage conditions to maintain the integrity of samples for biomonitoring studies.

Keywords: VOC metabolites, Stability, Human Biomonitoring, Analytical, Urine